Tennis: All Purpose Tennis Thread XIII

[kihei]

2019 predictions:

Sascha will not win a Grand Slam (correct)

Shapovalov will end the year in the Top Fifteen (correct)

Tsitsipas, Khachanov and Coric will finish higher in the rankings than they did this year (15, 11, 12, respectively) (right; close as Khachqanov spent some time in the Top Ten before landing at #17; and very wrong)

Edmund and Medvedev will finish lower than they did this year (14 and 16 respectively) (right on one, just awful on the other)

Next Gen players will win two Grand Slams (very wrong)

Roger Federer will fall from the Top Three because of his play for the first time since dinosaurs roamed the earth (may have been a year premature, but wrong)

Stan Wawrinka will announce his retirement (nope)

Rafa will win the French Open once again (yup)

De Minaur will make the Top Twenty (currently #31) (yup)

Svitolina will finish the year #1 on the women's side (ha, ha, ha, ha)

Taylor Fritz will move up to the #2 ranked US player behind Isner (nice one)

Nick Kyrgios will be comeback player of the year (currently #35) (ha, ha, ha, ha)

Anett Kontaveit will land and stick in the Top Twenty (got as high as #14 and then fell back to #26)

The new Davis Cup format will be almost universally panned--an investigation will find that a lot of shady money changed hands to alter the traditional competition. (just wait)

FAA will have a break out year and get to the semi-final of a GS tournament. (pretty close, he did have a break out year and got to the quarters at the Australian Open).

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Worst predictions: Medvedev dropping; Krygios rising; Svitolina becoming #1; Next Gens winning a couple of Slams

Best predictions: Fritz rising; Shapo at #15; Di Minaur making the top twenty; FAA

 

[Say Hey Kid]

Congrats to my players of the year, Nadal and Barty.

 

[discostu]

Bianca win a the Lou Marsh award for best Canadian athlete. Apparently 4 tennis players were among the 17 finalists up for discussion. Shapovalov, Felix and Pospisil were the other three.

This is the first time a tennis player has won the honour. Another first for the superstar.

 

[tony d]

Congrats to Bianca on winning the Lou Marsh Award, well deserved.

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

2019 predictions:

Sascha will not win a Grand Slam (correct)

Shapovalov will end the year in the Top Fifteen (correct)

Tsitsipas, Khachanov and Coric will finish higher in the rankings than they did this year (15, 11, 12, respectively) (right; close as Khachqanov spent some time in the Top Ten before landing at #17; and very wrong)

Edmund and Medvedev will finish lower than they did this year (14 and 16 respectively) (right on one, just awful on the other)

Next Gen players will win two Grand Slams (very wrong)

Roger Federer will fall from the Top Three because of his play for the first time since dinosaurs roamed the earth (may have been a year premature, but wrong)

Stan Wawrinka will announce his retirement (nope)

Rafa will win the French Open once again (yup)

De Minaur will make the Top Twenty (currently #31) (yup)

Svitolina will finish the year #1 on the women's side (ha, ha, ha, ha)

Taylor Fritz will move up to the #2 ranked US player behind Isner (nice one)

Nick Kyrgios will be comeback player of the year (currently #35) (ha, ha, ha, ha)

Anett Kontaveit will land and stick in the Top Twenty (got as high as #14 and then fell back to #26)

The new Davis Cup format will be almost universally panned--an investigation will find that a lot of shady money changed hands to alter the traditional competition. (just wait)

FAA will have a break out year and get to the semi-final of a GS tournament. (pretty close, he did have a break out year and got to the quarters at the Australian Open).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Worst predictions: Medvedev dropping; Krygios rising; Svitolina becoming #1; Next Gens winning a couple of Slams

Best predictions: Fritz rising; Shapo at #15; Di Minaur making the top twenty; FAA

Let's see next years so I can win some money

 

[kihei]

Let's see next years so I can win some money

Okay, I'll start to work on it.

 

[MeowLeafs]

Who does everyone think will win the grand slams in 2020?

Australian Open: Djokovic
French Open: Gotta go with Nadal though I'm curious if the new roof may be a factor for him
Wimbledon: Federer and this will be his last slam win
US Open: I think a next gen player will finally win...maybe Medvedev, though I'm hoping for Shapo

 

[kihei]

Who does everyone think will win the grand slams in 2020?

Australian Open: Djokovic
French Open: Gotta go with Nadal though I'm curious if the new roof may be a factor for him
Wimbledon: Federer and this will be his last slam win
US Open: I think a next gen player will finally win...maybe Medvedev, though I'm hoping for Shapo

Austrtalia: Djokovic
French: Nadal
Wimbledon: Djokovic
US: Thiem

 

[tony d]

I think Joker wins in Australia, Nadal in Paris, Federer in Wimbledon where he will announce his retirement and Zverev breaks through to win the U.S. open.

 

[MsMeow]

I can only wish/hope that someone other than the big three wins a major. After that I think the floodgates will open.

 

[Hadoop]

A slate of news (just when I thought the tennis off-season had been pretty quiet)

Wozniacki to retire after the Australian Open next year
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/caroline-wozniacki-retirement-australian-open-2020-1.5386673

Roger broke down in tears after exhibition in Bogota, Colombia cancelled due to rioting
Roger Federer ‘emotionally wasted’ after rioting in Bogota during tour

And the biggest bombshell of all:

135 players suspected in massive match-fixing scam
Global police investigation into fixing underway, say German media

WHOA!!

 

[kihei]

Yeah, that report is going to have very long legs. The report I read said that a player in the top 30 is involved, one who has won three AP titles. If true, pretty sure that means either Paire or Basilashvilli as both have won three titles. This story really bears watching.

 

[kihei]

Tennis Predictions for 2020

Grand Slam titles (men): two for Nole, one for Rafa. one for Thiem (most likely to upset the apple cart: Medvedev)

Grand Slam titles (women): two for Osaka, one for Serena, one for Barty (most likely to upset the apple cart: Bianca)

Biggest move up the charts: Jannick Sinner who will move up to the top 25 or higher

Year end #1 will be: Novak Djokovic

Year end #1 will be Naomi Osaka

Most disappointing player will be: Fabio Fognini who will drop out of the top 25

Nick Kyrgios will continue to play below his potential and barely land in the top 25

Spain will again win the Davis Cup

Roger Federer will finally fall from the top three but not from the top ten

FAA will move up several notches but not yet make the top ten

Shapovalov will crack the top ten for the first time

Bianca will finish lower than her present #5 ranking

Serena William will finish higher than her present #10.

Berretinni, Bautista Agut and Monfils will say goodbye to the top ten

Medvedev will stay in the top ten but finish lower than his present ranking of #5

Wawrinka and Isner will fall out of the top twenty.

Andy Murray will return to the top twenty and make at least one GS semi

Leylah Fernandez, currently #211, will move up to the #120s or better

Sascha will once again not make it to a GS final.

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I guarantee you can take these predictions to the bank....if you print them out and fold them in your pocket anyway.

 

[Maestro84]

With the decade winding down, here are my top 10 men's and women's tennis players of the decade.

Men's:
1. Novak Djokovic (no question here - the Serb leads in virtually every category)
2. Rafael Nadal (in any decade prior to 2000, 2010s Rafa would be that decade's number one)
3. Roger Federer (his best days came in the 2000s, but he was still very elite throughout this decade)
4. Andy Murray (given the circumstances, 3 slams, 2 gold medals and being the only player outside Djokodal to finish number one are great achievements)
5. Stan Wawrinka (came into this decade as a top 20-25 player and ended it as a 3x slam winner - talk about being a clutch late bloomer)
6. Marin Cilic (only player outside the five players ranked above him to win a major)
7. David Ferrer (most consistent player of this decade outside the big four, sadly he was good but never great enough to win any of the big titles)
8. Juan Martin Del Potro (stupid injuries prevented him from being much higher on this list, nonetheless, he achieved quite a lot given the circumstances)
9. Tomas Berdych (a slightly less consistent but more dangerous version of Ferrer when he's on his A-game)
10. Dominic Thiem (second best player on clay in the latter years of the 2010s and is getting better and better on hard courts as well. He's won an IW title and been to b2b RG finals)

Honorable Mentions: Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, and Milos Raonic

Women's:
1. Serena Williams (no explanation needed here)
2. Angelique Kerber (the only player outside Serena to win more than 2 slams and have a multi-slam season this decade)
3. Simona Halep (most consistent player of the decade besides Serena)
4. Victoria Azarenka (peak-wise, only Serena can match her in the 2010s, but injuries and personal issues stopped her from being higher on this list)
5. Petra Kvitova (I feel like she should've won a bit more but Petra had some great achievements this decade nonetheless)
6. Maria Sharapova (controversial pick, but she had a great first half of the decade)
7. Kim Clijsters (only played 3 seasons in the 2010s but what she did in that span, far exceeds anyone besides the 6 above her on this list)
8. Li Na (similar to Wawrinka, she was a late bloomer but before retiring at the end of the '14 season, few had better results than Li Na did in the first half of the 2010s)
9. Caroline Wozniacki (finally broke through to win a major in 2018 after years of shortcoming - her whole body of work is impressive but only winning one slam lands her at #9)
10. Naomi Osaka (by far the youngest player on this list, she's already won 2 slams at the tender age of 22, but of course, she's only been a top player for 2 seasons - hell she was 12 years old at the start of this decade lol. However, 10 years from now when we do a best of 2020s list, I won't be surprised to see Naomi at the top of that list)

Honorable Mentions: Garbine Muguruza, Ash Barty, and Agnieska Radwanska

I'd love to hear others opinions on my list to see how it compares

 

[MsMeow]

Andy Murray pulled out of the Aussie Open. He's still having hip issues.

 

[kihei]

With the decade winding down, here are my top 10 men's and women's tennis players of the decade.

Men's:
1. Novak Djokovic (no question here - the Serb leads in virtually every category)
2. Rafael Nadal (in any decade prior to 2000, 2010s Rafa would be that decade's number one)
3. Roger Federer (his best days came in the 2000s, but he was still very elite throughout this decade)
4. Andy Murray (given the circumstances, 3 slams, 2 gold medals and being the only player outside Djokodal to finish number one are great achievements)
5. Stan Wawrinka (came into this decade as a top 20-25 player and ended it as a 3x slam winner - talk about being a clutch late bloomer)
6. Marin Cilic (only player outside the five players ranked above him to win a major)
7. David Ferrer (most consistent player of this decade outside the big four, sadly he was good but never great enough to win any of the big titles)
8. Juan Martin Del Potro (stupid injuries prevented him from being much higher on this list, nonetheless, he achieved quite a lot given the circumstances)
9. Tomas Berdych (a slightly less consistent but more dangerous version of Ferrer when he's on his A-game)
10. Dominic Thiem (second best player on clay in the latter years of the 2010s and is getting better and better on hard courts as well. He's won an IW title and been to b2b RG finals)

Honorable Mentions: Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, and Milos Raonic

Women's:
1. Serena Williams (no explanation needed here)
2. Angelique Kerber (the only player outside Serena to win more than 2 slams and have a multi-slam season this decade)
3. Simona Halep (most consistent player of the decade besides Serena)
4. Victoria Azarenka (peak-wise, only Serena can match her in the 2010s, but injuries and personal issues stopped her from being higher on this list)
5. Petra Kvitova (I feel like she should've won a bit more but Petra had some great achievements this decade nonetheless)
6. Maria Sharapova (controversial pick, but she had a great first half of the decade)
7. Kim Clijsters (only played 3 seasons in the 2010s but what she did in that span, far exceeds anyone besides the 6 above her on this list)
8. Li Na (similar to Wawrinka, she was a late bloomer but before retiring at the end of the '14 season, few had better results than Li Na did in the first half of the 2010s)
9. Caroline Wozniacki (finally broke through to win a major in 2018 after years of shortcoming - her whole body of work is impressive but only winning one slam lands her at #9)
10. Naomi Osaka (by far the youngest player on this list, she's already won 2 slams at the tender age of 22, but of course, she's only been a top player for 2 seasons - hell she was 12 years old at the start of this decade lol. However, 10 years from now when we do a best of 2020s list, I won't be surprised to see Naomi at the top of that list)

Honorable Mentions: Garbine Muguruza, Ash Barty, and Agnieska Radwanska

I'd love to hear others opinions on my list to see how it compares

Mildly tempted to switch Ferrer and Cilic, but really I have no quibble with your men's list beside a relatively minor one. I might make a case for Tsonga at 10, though I can't complain too much about Thiem in that spot. That list seems pretty persuasive to me. The women's side is more contentious. I could see putting that list together a lot of different ways. I think I might go:

1. Serena
2. Azarenka
3. Halep
4. Kerber
5. Sharapova
6. Kvitova
7. Na
8. Clijsters
9. Wozniacki
10. Osaka

Azarenka, Halep and Kerber are especially hard to sort out.

 

[Tuggy]

ATP Cup starts this week. New event.

2020 ATP Cup - Wikipedia

Canada in Group F. They open against Greece.

 

[Hadoop]

Wowzers the season is just around the corner, and the record heat is gonna play a big role down under IMO. Here are my 20 predictions for 2020 (and I'm gonna start with a bang)

ATP

1. Nadal passes Federer in all-time GS titles
2. Djokovic wins gold in Tokyo
3. A member of the neXt gen (i.e. someone under 25) wins either the AO or the USO
4. The year-end top 5 will have (in no particular order), Rafa, Nole, Thiem, and two members of the neXt gen
5. Tsonga retires (likely after the USO)
6. Verdasco retires (likely after the USO)
7. Kevin Anderson retires (likely after the USO)
8. Patchy form will cause Federer to fall out of the top 5, but Djokovic and Nadal will keep him from retiring
9. Shapovalov enters the top 10
10. FAA will struggle early in the year, but after a coaching change mid-season will win his first title and finish the year in the top 15
11. Jannik Sinner will rise to the top 25

WTA

1. Serena wins Wimby
2. Both Osaka and Barty will win at least one slam
3. Osaka wins gold in Tokyo
4. The USO will have a first-time GS winner
5. Venus retires (likely after the USO)
6. Kuznetsova retires (likely after the USO)
7. Andreescu will have another injury-interrupted year, but if she is healthy at the beginning of the tournament she will win the French
8. Sofia Kenin will be the highest ranked American male or female at the end of the year
9. Coco Gauff will make the semi-finals of a major

 

[Tuggy]

Felix about to start. TSN1 has coverage.

 

[Tuggy]

Easy win for Felix.

Nice start to the season for him.

 

[Hadoop]

Shapovalov and Tsitsipas now. Pleasure to see a competitive match (i.e. not a glorified exhibition) between two players of this caliber live on the first day of the season (and the second day of the year in the western hemisphere).

 

[MsMeow]

Is this tournament the Davis Cup replacement?

 

[Tuggy]

Denis loving to the boos from the Greek fans

 

[Tuggy]

Is this tournament the Davis Cup replacement?

I don't think so. Just a new event.

Has ATP ranking points, which is nice.

High quality match here.

 

[MsMeow]

I don't think so. Just a new event.

Has ATP ranking points, which is nice.

High quality match here.

Denis is looking really sharp!